OSCAR PISTORIUS MURDER TRIAL: the blade runner oscar pistorius shoots girlfriend

[HairOfTheDog]

Looking forward to the pre-trial hearing on Monday, 8/19.

South African prosecutors confirmed yesterday that they will be indicting Pistorius for premeditated murder.

Good. Was a little worried for a while that they might downgrade the charge to negligible homicide based on all of the excuses the defense team has been floating over the last 6 months and the fact that the major bail restrictions placed upon him were dropped early on.

I don't think Pistorius shot Reeva by accident and don't believe that he was traumatized from a previous (imagined) home invasion threat and shot her in a case of mistaken identity either.

Hoping to learn more about the evidence uncovered from the 6 month investigation on Monday.

Pistorius's trial is expected to be scheduled for early 2014.

Ref:
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504083_162-5...arly-2014/

[Cynical Ninja]

Pure logic dictates he knew it was her in the bathroom and he was shooting to kill.

[Cynical Ninja]

The trial is going to be between the 9^th and the 20^th of March 2014. That gives the twat another 6 months to walk around doing whatever he wants with Reevas blood on his hands.

[NightOwl]

The trial is going to be between the 9^th and the 20^th of March 2014. That gives the twat another 6 months to walk around doing whatever he wants with Reevas blood on his hands.

Money talks! six months delay is uncalled for!

[Cynical Ninja]

Money talks! six months delay is uncalled for!

Absolutely.

If I shot my wife to death through a bathroom door they would be a maximum of 6 weeks before I was on trial.

But if you're a legless sprinter you get nearly a year between crime and trial.

[NightOwl]

Money talks! six months delay is uncalled for!

Absolutely.

If I shot my wife to death through a bathroom door they would be a maximum of 6 weeks before I was on trial.

But if you're a legless sprinter you get nearly a year between crime and trial.

I couldn't help myself

[crash]

It's been in the news here today the Pistorius has been charged with two separate gun related offences that occurred before the murder. I'm guessing this is to add weight to the murder case.

[Cynical Ninja]

Pistorius is a confirmed gun nut, one of his fellow paralympians said that if he was drinking he would always end up getting one of his guns out and start waving it around like a toy.

[HairOfTheDog]

It's been in the news here today the Pistorius has been charged with two separate gun related offences that occurred before the murder. I'm guessing this is to add weight to the murder case.

If the judge acquits Pistorius of premeditated murder or a lesser charge equivalent to manslaughter, he'll still almost certainly be convicted of one of the gun-related offenses and possibly do a little time, IMO. Fall back.

Hard to believe it's been almost a year since Reeva Steenkamp was shot to death. The trial is scheduled to start in six weeks.

Here's an update on the case from yesterday

The Oscar Pistorius trial will start on March 3, 2014.

The Olympic running star was indicted on charges of premeditated murder and illegal possession of ammunition in August last year. He is accused of shooting his model girlfriend Reeve Steenkamp on Valentine’s Day. HOTD ADD: Oscar Pistorius was also served with new indictment papers in November containing two extra charges believed to allege that he recklessly shot his gun out the open sunroof of a car last year and fired someone else's handgun at a restaurant weeks before he killed girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.

Pistorius claims he shot Steenkamp through the closed bathroom door thinking a burglar was hiding inside and that his model girlfriend was in bed at the time, but he ended up fatally shooting Steenkamp.

Prosecutors, who allege he killed her after an argument, submitted a list of more than 100 witnesses for the trial.

The mandatory sentence for someone convicted of premeditated murder is life with a minimum of 25 years in prison, meaning if Pistorius is found guilty, he will be older than 50, at least, when he leaves prison. There is no death penalty in South Africa.

A statement, from the office of South Africa’s national police commissioner, said detectives, forensic experts, ballistics experts, psychologists and technology experts all worked on the case and are confident that they have the evidence to convict Pistorius.

The most telling evidence may be in records on cellphones found at Pistorius’ home and through examination of the toilet cubicle door through which Pistorius shot four bullets, hitting Steenkamp three times and killing her. The angle or trajectory of the bullets could show if Pistorius was standing on his stumps when he shot, as he says, or if he was on his prosthetics, as the prosecution maintains—a marked difference in the two accounts.

Full story:
http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/454617-o...e-summary/

[Cynical Ninja]

To me he hasn't got a leg to stand on (sic).

Common sense dictates when he knew there was someone in the toilet he should have at least said before firing “Reeva is that you in there?”

The fact he didn't clearly indicates premeditated murder.

It was Valentines day, Oscars valentines day gift to Reeva was found at the scene unopened, Reeva had a catch up meal and meeting with an ex boyfriend recently before the shooting.

2 + 2 = 4

[HairOfTheDog]

MEDIA COVERAGE & TRIAL MARKETING GEARING UP - WITH OR WITHOUT LIVE COVERAGE FROM THE COURTROOM

snip:
The trial of Oscar Pistorius, the double-amputee Olympian charged with murder, will have a dedicated 24-hour television channel in South Africa.

The female judge who will preside over the trial has not yet ruled if television cameras will be allowed to record images of court proceedings or if the trial at North Gauteng high court can be carried live.

Even so, MultiChoice cable carrier will tap into the world's fascination with Pistorius's remarkable story, which has taken a dramatic turn after he was celebrated as a sporting hero in 2012 as the first double amputee to compete on the track at the Olympics.

MultiChoice said the channel would give "inside information on the most talked-about and controversial subject in recent South African history". Its head of content, Aletta Alberts, said there would also be "a rich variety of content and social media integration" around the trial.

The TV channel, called The Oscar Pistorius Trial: A Carte Blanche Channel,, will be put together by the producers of a weekly investigative journalism show in South Africa called Carte Blanche, which also airs on MultiChoice's DSTV.

Full story: http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2014/ja...ur-channel

[Cynical Ninja]

Yes because trial by television worked so well with the O J Simpson murder trial didn't it?

Jesus christ.

[HairOfTheDog]

Let's Be Civil About Things; Tying Up Loose Ends Before Murder Trial



Pistorius family spokeswoman Anneliese Burgess said a settlement agreement was finalized late last year with Cassidy Taylor-Memmory (pictured above). She accused Pistorius of assault in a September 2009 party incident at Pistorius' home. Taylor-Memmory reportedly injured her leg when the door broke.

"The reasoning for the settlement being that Oscar was advised by his lawyers that he could not run a civil and criminal matter (side) by side," Burgess said in a statement to The Associated Press. The matter had "no bearing" on Pistorius' murder trial, Burgess said, and was settled "solely for the purposes of expediency." Burgess did not give any details of the settlement.

Pistorius' lawyers are also in negotiations with the family of Steenkamp over another out-of-court settlement ahead of his murder trial.

Source:
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/oscar-pistor...ault-case/
========================================================

Reeva Steenkamp was shot a year ago tomorrow; time flies.

Pistorius goes on trial in three weeks for Reeva's murder and firearms charges; trial begins on March 3^rd.

South Africa is trial by judge rather than jury, so there should be motions and testimony from the jump.

I'm very interested to see the South African criminal justice system in motion.

[Cynical Ninja]

Taylor-Memmory reportedly injured her leg when the door broke.

Tragically ironic or ironically tragic?

[HairOfTheDog]

Oscar Pistorius's Statement on 1 Year Anniversary of Killing Reeva Steenkamp

"No words can adequately capture my feelings about the devastating accident that has caused such heartache for everyone who truly loved - and continues to love Reeva. The pain and sadness - especially for Reeva's parents, family and friends consumes me with sorrow. The loss of Reeva and the complete trauma of that day, I will carry with me for the rest of my life."

Whether he's sincere or not, he's definitely in defense mode; remorse, "devastating accident".

A source from the Pistorius camp has also released some of the the last photos of Reeva and Pistorius to CNN. They all show the couple in intimate poses; looking like a couple in love.



More of the just-released photos here: http://www.cnn.com/2014/02/14/world/afri...le_sidebar

Trial starts in under 3 weeks. Pistorius has refrained from making public statements since the killing last year; his Uncle Arnold has been his spokesperson up til now.

None of Reeva's family have attended court dates thus far, but Reeva's mother June reportedly plans on attending the trial in Pretoria, starting March 3^rd.

[Duchess]

He can't control himself any more than a 2 yr. old.

It's been a long wait.

[Cynical Ninja]

“Devastating accident”

I don't think so, he knew she was in his house and wasn't in bed with him meaning he KNEW she must be somewhere else in the house.

Shooting without checking if it was Reeva in the toilet first makes no sense whatsoever.

Plus the recent meeting with her ex and the unopened Valentines gift found in the house and the fact he was a well known gun nut with a short fuse?

Guilty your honour.

[crash]

From our news this morning;

Oscar Pistorius’s prosecutors now admit the sprinter may not have been wearing his prosthetic legs when he fired the shots that killed his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp.

The concession removes a key argument for premeditation in the alleged murder.

According to a document obtained by local TV channel eNCA, the state’s own ballistics expert believes Pistorius was “most likely” on his stumps when he shot Steenkamp through a bathroom door.

Pistorius, whose trial begins on March 3, denies the charge of murder and says he mistook Steenkamp for an intruder.

I'm assuming this would be a considerable setback for the prosecution, given it will significantly aid the defense establishing reasonable doubt around premeditation.

[HairOfTheDog]

I'm assuming this would be a considerable setback for the prosecution, given it will significantly aid the defense establishing reasonable doubt around premeditation.

I think it's a big setback, crash.

The prosecution presented the fact that Pistorius put on his legs as a major point towards premeditation during the arraignment. IIRC, they also made the case that the bullet trajectory through the toilet door supported their contention that he was lying about being on his stumps at the time of the shooting.

I never understood why the prosecution focused on that so early, but they did; very publicly and to the court. So, the defense will be able to use the backpedal against the prosecution and contend that the investigation was sloppy, the original theories were never supported, the initial lead detective (Botha) was biased... Lack of credibility is gonna hurt the prosecution, IMO.

BUT, it's better that the prosecution drop a claim that can't be reasonably substantiated now than have it blow up in their faces at trial.

And, since I think he fully intended to shoot Reeva through that door, I hope authorities now have a lot more circumstantial evidence to support a murder charge -- i.e. the couple was arguing, she was communicating with an ex, he lied to investigators early on, etc... With no eyewitnesses and no camera footage, the prosecutors may not have enough to prove that Pistorius killed Reeva with premeditation (I'm not convinced that he did, based on what's been disclosed so far). But, they should have enough to convince the judge that he was not under the impression that he was shooting at an intruder when he blew his top and started shooting - he knew it was Reeva inside the toilet - and he should therefore be held culpable for her death.

[crash]

With no eyewitnesses and no camera footage, the prosecutors may not have enough to prove that Pistorius killed Reeva with premeditation (I'm not convinced that he did, based on what's been disclosed so far). But, they should have enough to convince the judge that he was not under the impression that he was shooting at an intruder when he blew his top and started shooting - he knew it was Reeva inside the toilet - and he should therefore be held culpable for her death.

Like you, HotD, I'm not so sure that it was premeditated either, actually I'd go so far as to say I don't think it was at all. Again, like you, I believe he knew full well it was her in that bathroom. I think he just lost it an shot her.

I hope you're right on the last bit. I hope they can convince a judge with the evidence they have.